Skin Deep

It is always great to see an artist who is in his senior citizen years, still have the ability to put out vital relevant art. In the last 10 years Buddy Guy has released out some of the best studio albums of his entire career and "Skin Deep" is another solid work from one of the legends of the blues. Several special guests show up here and there on this one including Eric Clapton, Derek Trucks, Susan Tedeschi, and Robert Randolph, but let there be no doubt, it is Guy himself who is the star here as his wailing guitar proves over and over throughout the material on this disc. Some would argue that the use of guest artists have at times overpowered Buddy's work and rendered it less than what it might have been with just Buddy alone. On this one, I think Mr. Guy uses the guests to their best advantage as they augment the material and make it better. Guy wrote all of the tracks on this one and his songwriting is solid through and through. There are a few well worn blues clichés here and there ("Smell The Funk" is an example), but nothing too derivative. There is plenty of tasty guitar licks that range from straight ahead blues to loud wailing rock. In essence this is a fine album from Mr. Guy and well worth owning for anyone who may have forgotten about this legend of the blues.

There are three tracks on this cd that I wouldn't give up: Everytime I Sing the Blues, Out in the Woods, and Who's Gonna Fill Those Shoes. Who's Gonna Fill Those Shoes is a wonderfully written song about all the best blues artists we've already lost. Everytime I Sing the Blues is done with Eric Clapton and just sounds awesome all the way around. Out in the Woods takes me to another place with the guitar. I like the rest of the tracks, some are done with other artists like Susan Tedeshi, Derek Trucks, and Robert Randolph.

Well written songs by a American icon. Have always enjoyed his music and this album is one of my favorites.

Good music on this cd. I recommend.

This is a rich Buddy Guy experience!

Good

In my opinion, Buddy's last Silvertone release, "Bring 'em In," suffered from guest stars that overshadowed the affair, making Buddy sound like second fiddle on his own record. While there's still guest stars aplenty on "Skin Deep," Buddy sounds a lot more in control of his own rodeo, and the guest stars definitely sound like they are here to support Buddy, and not the other way around.Sonically, "Skin Deep" does indeed have a clean and mondern sound, which may disappoint some looking for a down 'n' dirty blues album. Buddy's guitar is still dirty and gritty, though, and it's pushed to the forefront in all its nasty glory.This album is being hyped as Buddy's first release with all-orignal tunes. That being said, there are a few throwaway songs that don't bring much depth to the proceedings ("Hammer and a Nail," "Smell the Funk"), but there was bound to be a little filler. Buddy does deliver the goods on every tune, however. He even delivers on the title tune, which can only be considered adult contemporary schmaltz. It's a hammy anti-racism tune, but Buddy delivers the lines with conviction and turns in a fine performance.At 72, people might be expecting Buddy to have lost a step or two, but his guitar is still capable of peeling paint off of the walls, and his terrific singing voice has barely aged a day. In fact, Buddy sounds as energized and vibrant as I've heard him in some time. He sang "Done Got Old" several years ago, but now, he seems more content to throw away his Geritol, crank his amp to 10, and let the good times roll.The songs themselves are mostly strong, with the occasional filler tune, like I already mentioned. This isn't exactly the "Buddy returning to his roots" record that has been promised before, but there is some straight-ahead blues to be found here, such as on "Lyin' Like a Dog," "Out in the Woods," (complete with tasty acoustic slide guitar) and "Who's Gonna Fill Those Shoes." The rest of the tunes have soul, R&B and rock elements to them, but not in such heavy doses that you'll ever forget you're listening to a Buddy Guy album.All in all, "Skin Deep" is a really fun listen. Buddy's singing and playing are in fine form, and he delivers great performances throughout. While some of the tunes certainly won't stand up to his legendary back catalog, Buddy just sounds like he's having too darn much fun for me to give this album a lower rating.

You want some strong blues by the best players around, this is your CD. Guy plays some funky hard guitar here and he's got Robert Randolph (who some say is the next Jimi Hendrix) and Eric Clapton right up there playing with him. And if you want some serious gritty female vocals, there's always Susan Tedeschi.I usually mention a couple of favorites. So far, "Out in the Woods" is the song that's gotten the most repeats. Think New Orleans bayou on a full moon night with the loup garous howling. This is one where Randolph plays, and the guitars are just howling."Best Damn Fool," which is the CD opener, epitomizes the blues sentiment.Guy and Tedeschi were intended to sing together. Just listen to the two of them on "Too Many Tears."I have a feeling this one's not going to get out of my CD player for a long time. My prediction is "Skin Deep" is going to be one of the best albums of 2008.Rebecca Kyle, August 2008

Buddy Guy is one of the last great bluesmen and believe he was sideman for Muddy Waters at one time so he knows his way round a guitar and that skill is amply demonstrated on the 2008 album Skin Deep.The title track 'Best Damn Fool' is a storming opener together with 'Show Me The Money' which has a great blues shuffle riff,although one of my favourite tracks is 'Out In The Woods' a neat down-home type song with a smashing guitar tone and blues based solo....love this kind of stuff.What puzzles me is why so called 'celebrity' guitarists feature on certain numbers,like Clapton & Trucks,they don't really bring anything to the album because it's BG's playing is what you as a listener want to hear all the time.Highly enjoyable blues....fantastic music.

This is another classic blues album from genre master Buddy Guy. OK, so the production is a little slick, and there are (as is usual for Guy albums) a lot of guest stars, but when Buddy gets going her really is the King of the Blues. His raw, powerful guitar sound rocks and shreds your speakers, as that voice, seemingly unwearied by its years, tells you of his pain. It's a great album of uptempo blues rock, long may he continue to produce such gems.

Well just a few words Buddy Guy is in my estimation the out right finest guitarist on this planet currently , this Album reflects his roots of the Blues from track to track finesse are found in pure blues the "Buddy Guy" way.For anyone who loves the Blues this is a must and a perfect starter to understanding a huge talent and in my opinion the ultimate King of the Blues.

I'm not sure about my personal choice of an album by someone who at one time was at the top of the genre. There's nothing wrong with it at all but I prefer his earlier work. Please don't put off purchasing this CD though.

very good

Great!!!Fast delivery.

Buddy Guy Skin deep is an absolutly fantastic album that includes contributions from well known recording blues artists Eric Clapton, Derek Trucks, Susan Tedeschi, and Robert Randolph.I've listened to this albumover and over again and I still enjoy it.

Super Album

Vor diesem Album SKIN DEEP hab ich Wochenlang das aktuelle Album LIVING PROOF gehört , das ja einen Grammy gewann und vom 1. Ton bis zum Letzten absolut Klasse und Eingängig ist. Nur zum Empfehlen !!!.Mit den geleichen Erwartungen ging ich an dieses Album , ebenfalls produziert von Tom Hambridge. Ich wollte das Album voreilig als schlecht abstempeln , aber VORSICHT , das Album offenbart sich nach dem ca. 5x hören. Und nun ?......es ist ein wirklich klasse Album , das ein bischen Zeit braucht , danach wird man belohnt mit süchtigmachenden Songs , wie z.b. Hammer and a Nail , Smell the Funk , Thats my home....100% Empfehlung , tolle Songs , 1A Produktion. TOP - 5 Sterne !

I was disappointed with this CD. I saw him performing SKIN DEEP which was amazing. Not worth the whole CD.

Dire que ce disque est sublime est bien sûr une platitude parce que Mister BG nous sert que des chefs d'oeuvres depuis quelques années.A 72 ans il pourrait devenir un vieux rentier du blues..... Mais comme j'ai pu le voir sur scène à Vienne ce showman exceptionnel n'est pas là pour faire de la figuration. Ce qui est intéressant c'est que chaque disque sonne de manière différente. Peut-être ici est-ce dû à l'utilisation de différentes guitares par le maître (sa BG est bien là, mais aussi une Strat 57, une Gigson ES , une Tele, un sitar électrique et il emprunte même la guitare de son pote Clapton!) et le son des pedal steel et autres slides de Derek Trucks et Robert randolph (le blues planant!!). L'enregistrement est somptueux et les divers acolytes invités plus ou moins connus sont bien intégrés au discours. Alors on peut se demander ce qui fait la différence avec les milliers disques de blues sortis cette année? On a d'abord l'énergie du bonhomme, palpable tout au long de l'enregistrement : c'est sûr il a le spirit of blues collé à l'âme mais aussi au corps. BG c'est bien sûr un guitariste inimitable. Lui seul peut faire crier une ES comme dans lyin' like a dog, un morceau significatif du style BG : c'est jamais plus fort en volume, jamais plus rapide au cours du morceau, ça devient simplement plus intense au fil des notes et le solo prend des directions harmoniques inattendues, uniques, la guitare est libérée de toute contrainte technique et le morceau repart là où d'autres guitaristes se seraient arrêtés ou paraphrasés. Un régal pour ceux qui comme moi s'évertuent à jouer du blues depuis des décennies : au début on se dit "cool, ça je sais faire"; puis après la lèvre inférieure commence à pendre et on commence à baver et on se dit, même Clapton ne l'aurait pas fait, alors on repart rassuré.....BG c'est aussi une voix unique, chargée d'émotion ("Skin Deep", une ode à la fraternité), d'une plasticité unique aussi à l'aise dans le funk (le percutant "Smell the funk"), le rock (That's my home, un peu "stonien"), que dans le delta (Out in the wood").Ce disque est une offrande au blues et le morceau "Who's gonna fill those shoes" est un hommage à ceux qui ont fait le blues, de Son House à Magic Slim il cite toutes ces grandes voix, ces grandes guitares disparues ou vivantes donrt les chaussures seront difficiles à enfiler tant la pointure est grande. Peut-être le petit Quinn Sullivan (11 ans) invité sur le morceau en fera parti?En attendant Mister Guy, même si il a lhumilité de ne pas se citer dans ce morceau est bien là avec une pêche d'enfer : puisse-t'il avoir le temps de nous faire encore de nombreux disques comme Skin Deep........

Super

Nice album. A burst of Chicago blues. Recording quality is very good. But I got it with a broken case. That's the heartbreak of it. But overall good experiance

Wunderbare Blues cd. Absolut empfehlenswert !!

très bon album de buddy guy